The Biological Sciences Division performs systems biology research and develops technologies focused on how cells, cell communities, and organisms sense and respond to their environment. Our investigator-initiated and collaborative research, unique scientific instrumentation, and national program leadership translate the latest scientific discoveries into technologies that are beneficial to the nation.
Unique Uranium Source in Naturally Bioreduced Sediment
A recently published Pacific Northwest National Laboratory study of a naturally bioreduced sediment sample from a former uranium mill tailings site reveals insights that enhance understanding of the long-term persistence of uranium in groundwater. The study provides the first-ever evidence of a useful pyrite mineral formation within the sample.
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Building Better Biofuels
Making biofuels from plants brings opportunities and challenges, according to Dr. Tim Donohue, Director of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, one of three U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Centers. The opportunity lies in the availability. Donohue gave a talk at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Frontiers in Biological Sciences Seminar Series.
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Where Did the Uranium Go?
Uranium's migration through the soil depends on groundwater's chemical composition, according to a recent study by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
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Building Up Broken Bones
Any one of the 8 million Americans who suffer bone fractures each year knows how hard it is to wait for the bones to knit, or heal. Bone healing is also important for integration of dental implants for people with missing or damaged teeth.
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New Below-Ground Monitoring Method for Microbial Activity Validated at Colorado Site
Scientists as superheroes? Well, maybe, at least in their ability to "see" through subsurface soil and rock, by using a new technique for monitoring groundwater contamination that eliminates the need to drill wells. Scientists recently performed the first field demonstration of a minimally invasive monitoring approach for tracking subsurface biogeochemical changes accompanying the bioreduction of a uranium-contaminated aquifer.
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Check Out the Fundamental & Computational Sciences Achievements for 2009
Industry relies on propylene oxide to make insulation, gaskets, adhesives, and other plastic parts, yet production processes for the chemical are expensive and often generate hazardous waste. Inordinately small particles, as tiny as a few atoms, may reduce hazardous waste, lower cost, and vastly increase efficiency, according to Dr. Stefan Vajda, internationally known chemist at Argonne National Laboratory.
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Wei-Jun Qian Receives New Innovator Award from NIH Director to Develop Dramatically Improved Biomarker Research and Clinical Diagnostic Tools
Congratulations to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Dr. Wei-Jun Qian, who received a 2009 National Institutes of Health Director's New Innovator Award. The award is given to stimulate highly innovative research having the potential for significant impact and support promising early-career investigators.
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Check Out Advancing the Frontiers of Science Brochure
Understanding the world around us, from the behavior of subatomic particles to shifts in the global climate pattern, is vital to our nation's prosperity and security. Gaining this understanding is the job and the passion of scientists and engineers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Our scientific leaders are recognized in the United States and abroad for their accomplishments.
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